Researchers from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and the University of California, Los Angeles, have found that comorbidities in midlife are associated with an increased risk of developing cancer and higher cancer-related mortality. The associations varied depending on the type of cancer. These findings offer new insights that could shape future prevention strategies.
The concept of cross-disease communication—where one chronic condition may increase the likelihood of developing a different disease—is gaining prominence.
Preclinical studies have shown that cardiac events such as heart failure and myocardial infarction can accelerate tumour growth and metastasis in mouse models of intestinal and breast cancers.
Clinical data further support this, revealing that individuals with heart failure or myocardial infarction face a greater risk of developing cancer than those without such conditions.
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However, the possibility of screening bias remains; people with cardiac issues may undergo more regular medical check-ups, potentially leading to earlier cancer detection. Therefore, comprehensive studies assessing a broader range of systematically categorised comorbidities are essential to confirm these links.
In a study titled “Comorbidity in Midlife and Cancer Outcomes,” published in JAMA Network Open, researchers conducted a secondary analysis of the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) screening trial to explore how comorbidities in midlife influence long-term cancer risk and mortality.
The cohort included 128,999 adults aged 55 to 74, enrolled between 1993 and 2001 at ten PLCO screening centres across the United States.
Participants self-reported their medical histories, which included 12 chronic conditions categorised into five groups based on World Health Organization guidelines: cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal, liver-related, and metabolic conditions.
After a median follow-up of 20 years, respiratory conditions (hazard ratio [HR] 1.07; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02–1.12) and cardiovascular conditions (HR 1.02; 95% CI, 1.00–1.05) were significantly associated with an increased overall risk of cancer.
Metabolic, gastrointestinal, and liver conditions did not show a significant impact on general cancer risk but were each strongly associated—either positively or negatively—with specific cancer types.
Each condition raised the risk of at least one particular type of cancer.
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Liver conditions demonstrated the strongest association with liver cancer (HR 5.57; 95% CI, 4.03–7.71). Metabolic disorders were linked to an increased risk of nine cancer types and a reduced risk of four others, including lung and prostate cancer.
When it came to cancer-specific mortality, respiratory conditions (HR 1.19; 95% CI, 1.11–1.28), cardiovascular conditions (HR 1.08; 95% CI, 1.04–1.13), and metabolic conditions (HR 1.09; 95% CI, 1.05–1.14) were all linked to higher death rates.
These findings highlight how chronic conditions in midlife can influence both the likelihood of developing cancer and the chances of dying from it. Public health approaches that focus on early detection and effective management of these comorbidities may improve cancer prevention and outcomes.
Integrating comorbidity screening into standard cancer risk assessments could help pave the way for more personalised prevention strategies.
Reference: Jessica A. Lavery et al., Comorbidity in Midlife and Cancer Outcomes, JAMA Network Open (2025). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.3469
Siran M. Koroukian et al., Moving Closer to Personalised Cancer Prevention Strategies by Assessing Comorbidity and Multimorbidity, JAMA Network Open (2025). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.3476
